


Soft Shadows

by Kitsune_Moonstar



Series: Do Some Good [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24426010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Moonstar/pseuds/Kitsune_Moonstar
Summary: Caleb teaches Essek a spell.  Essek acquires a familiar.  Written for Shadowgast Week 2020. Prompt: Gift.
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Series: Do Some Good [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762039
Comments: 7
Kudos: 173
Collections: Shadowgast Week 2020





	Soft Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Critical Role or its characters. Written for Shadowgast Week 2020. Prompt: Gift.

It'd been a long day, and Essek was fighting off the beginnings of a headache. Resigning as Shadowhand was proving far more complicated than he had expected. He had thought that he had everything fairly well organized and ready to transfer to someone else. Apparently he had been mistaken. But the Nein had invited him to dinner, and he hadn't wanted to miss that. Or them since who knew when they would tear off again to return who knows when. So here he was seated on their couch with a lapful of purring familiar.

Frumpkin had claimed his lap almost as soon as he had sat down, and Essek was quite happy to pet the cat. It was rather soothing, and much nicer to focus on the fur beneath his fingers than his pounding head. A sigh slips from his lips.

"It's time like these that I wish the noble Dens didn't look down on the concept of familiars so much," he says without thinking about it. "It would be very nice to have a companion like Frumpkin."

Only after he has completed his thought does Essek realize that quite a few of his friends are staring at him. Caleb tilts his head.

"Familiars are forbidden?"

Essek shakes his head. "Not forbidden. And certainly quite a few Dynasty mages have them. But the attitude of the noble Dens is that a familiar is a crutch and to have one is a weakness. I got so many lectures from my tutor when I wanted to learn that spell."

That causes Caleb to frown. "Then you never had a chance to learn the spell?"

Essek shakes his head again, his fingers busy scratching under Frumpkin's chin. "No. I probably could have once I was more independent, but it tends to slip my mind until I'm confronted with a lovely creature like Frumpkin."

"Would like to learn it now?" Caleb's voice is quiet.

Essek's breath catches in his throat. It is the first time that Caleb has offered to teach him something from his own spellbook that Essek has not collaborated on. It might be a small offer of trust, but it is still one Essek will take.

"Yes, please."

They don't get to go disappear and learn the spell immediately. Caduceus insists on feeding them first, but once the meal is over, Caleb leads Essek to a familiar room and sets him to copying the spell from his book. Essek applies himself diligently to the work even if there is a small part of his brain running through his schedule trying to figure when he had time to cast the spell and if he would need to acquire any components for it. He doesn't have time to cast it tomorrow unfortunately due to a series of meetings but the day after might work. Essek was eager to give it a try.

When Essek finally leaves the Xhorhaus, he was humming in anticipation. He might have to wait a day or two, but he was excited to summon a familiar. There had been a time when he was much younger when he had spent hours imagining what his familiar would be like. That was before he'd been informed that a wizard from the prestigious Den Thelyss would not deign to have a familiar. Summoning one now almost felt like a little like adolescent rebellion.

Still, he had to wade through a day of tedious meetings and a trip to the markets to purchase a small portable copper brazier before he could attempt the spell. However, when he finally had everything laid out and was ready to cast the ritual, Essek found himself oddly nervous. He had cast dozens of spells more complicated than this one, but still, there was something about this particular spell, whether it was that Caleb had given it to him or his old hopes and dreams of a companion.

The spell takes an hour to cast. Essek knew that he wanted a fey familiar, but other than that, he doesn't have something in particular in mind. He doesn't expect the pile of fluff that fills the brazier. Then it wrinkles its nose and flips an ear, and Essek realizes that his familiar is a rabbit. A very fluffy rabbit at that, though he had to admit that her coloring was striking shading from a dark grey that was almost black at her nose and ears to almost silver white. Apparently she had finished her appraisal of him, since she proceeded to hop into his lap. Having been well trained by Frumpkin, Essek immediately began petting her.

"Well, Isilme, I hope you're not too disappointed by your wizard. I think we'll get along though."

Having Isilme around his tower does take some getting used to. She liked to hide in the shadows and ambush him and had a habit of nibbling on his papers. But the warm weight of her in his lap while he works is wonderful, and having someone around at all times was comforting. He had even experimented with casting his floating spell on her a few times, and there was something incredibly amusing about a floating rabbit hopping around.

Essek had not had a chance to introduce his new familiar to the Nein. They had been off on another adventure the next day, and while Jester has kept in contact with him, there has been no word about when they might return to Rosohna. Essek tried not to miss them too much; Isilme helped but he found that he missed the Nein far more than he realized, especially now that he was planning to travel with them. Perhaps he was just worried that he would be left behind.

The invitation to dinner was a welcome distraction from the last of his paperwork. In another week, Essek should be free of the position of Shadowhand. He was ready to be rid of it. Essek had no illusions that traveling with the Nein would be easy. He was unaccustomed to long journeys, and given what he knew of the Nein, Essek doubted that things would go as planned. But he was determined not to waste the second chance he was given, and there was quite a bit he was willing to give up in order to keep the Nein's friendship.

He's welcomed into the Xhorhaus and greeted by what he's come to realize is their normal level of chaos. Jester chattered on about their latest adventure while Caduceus plied him with snacks and Beau and Veth were suspicious and snarky. Then Caleb turned to him and asked.

"Did you end up summoning a familiar?"

Essek nodded. "Would you like to meet her?"

It only took a moment before Isilme was a soft weight in his lap. Frumpkin padded over to investigate. Essek held his breath as Caleb's familiar sniffed his own. Then Frumpkin booped Isilme's nose and started to groom her. The rabbit twitched her nose but didn't seem to mind the attention. Caleb chuckled.

"They seemed to get along."

"She's so fluffy!" Jester whispered.

"Are rabbits typical familiars?" Beau asked.

"No," Caleb admitted. "That was a surprise."

Isilme was happy enough to receive pets and be made much of. When they finally go off to dinner, Essek's familiar is curled up on the couch with Frumpkin, looking completely content. Essek let himself settle at the table with his friends, letting their teasing banter and warm companionship wash over him. Soon, he promises himself, he'd be done being the Shadowhand and can just be one of the Nein. It wouldn't make up for his past actions, but at least it was the start of doing some good.


End file.
